Applicability of BMPs for cold climate use

Applicability of BMPs for cold climate use
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BMP Family	BMP	Classification	Notes
PollutionPrevention	Housekeeping practices	Yes	Focus on rapid clean-up of paved surfaces after snowmelt
	Atmospheric control	Marginal	Control of auto emissions and industrial output usually not under local control, but exposed winter soils are controllable
	Chemical controls	Yes	Salt management and chemical spill control can be local programs
	Animal waste management	Yes	Strict waste control can be covered in local ordinance
	Streambank stabilization	Yes	Attention to local erosion sites can reduce ice damage and sediment load from high spring flows
Runoff Volume Minimization	Natural area conservation	Yes	Preserving pervious areas for meltwater to infiltrate is effective way to control volume
	Soil amendments	Marginal	Enhancing soil permeability will increase infiltration of meltwater
	Reduction of impervious surface	Yes	Preserving pervious areas for meltwater to infiltrate is effective way to control volume and to minimize mobilization of pollutants
	Grass drainage channel	Yes	Routing meltwater over a pervious surface will yield some reduction in flow and improved water quality
	Rain barrel/cistern	Marginal	Capturing meltwater from a building will reduce volume but ice build-up could be a problem unless collection occurs below frostline
	Permeable pavement/blocks	Yes	Recent research has shown this approach to be successful in cold climates when properly installed and maintained, and when sanding kept to a minimum
	Soakaway pit/drywell (designed so as not to qualify as a Class V injection well)	Yes	Effective as long as system is installed below the frostline to avoid ice build-up
	Stormwater planter	Marginal	These are designed more for the growing season, but they do provide a sump area for runoff to collect and will infiltrate some of the volume
	Rooftop garden	Yes	Recent research has shown that slow melting in the spring reduces the volume running off of roof surfaces
Temporary Construction Sediment Control	Preconstruction planning	Yes	Focus on sequencing to avoid open soils during winter and on limited grading prior to freeze-up
	Resource protection	Yes	Buffers reduce runoff by providing infiltration potential
	Runoff control	Yes	Stable drainageways and sediment basins assure erosion control and provide storage opportunities for spring meltwater
	Perimeter control	Yes	These practices are especially effective during winter construction
	Slope stabilization	Yes	These must be installed prior to freeze-up to be effective; they must be checked often and maintained all winter
	Stabilized soil	Marginal	Seeding, blankets and sprayed stabilizers must all be in place and working before freeze-up; if necessary, blankets can be laid and held in place with sandbags or rock logs
	Inspection and maintenance	Yes	Essential for proper operation all winter
Bioretention	Rain garden	Marginal	By definition, these are growing season practices, but they do provide a sump area for storage and some infiltration during a melt
	Depressed parking islands	Yes	These can provide needed storage during the cold season and for spring runoff events; vegetation will not be a factor during winter
Filtration	Media filter	Yes-to marginal	Surface systems need to be fully dry before freezeup for these to work properly; sub-grade systems can be very effective for meltwater treatment
	Surface vegetative filter	Marginal	Vegetative filtering is reduced once vegetation dies back in the fall; some physical filtering will occur if vegetation density and depth are sufficient
	Combination filter	Yes-to marginal	See comments above
Infiltration	Trench	Yes with caution	Effective when designed, installed and maintained properly; caution applies to limitations on source area to avoid high concentrations of Cl and toxics
	Basin	Yes with caution	See above comment
Stormwater Ponds	Forebay	Yes	Effective if designed with enough available volume to accommodate meltwater in the spring
	Storage components	Yes	Adaptations must be made to allow meltwater runoff to receive appropriate amount of treatment (see discussion following in this section); treatment effectiveness usually lower than warm weather
	Outlet	Yes	Proper design of the outlet structure can be the key to ponding effectiv
Constructed Wetlands	Forebay	Yes	See comment for forebay above
	Storage components	Yes-to marginal	Volume will be less than typical pond, but provide location for storage, some infiltration, filtration and some microbial activity; biological activity at a minimum
Supplemental Treatment	Proprietary sediment removal	Yes	These devices are typically installed below ground and below the frostline, and can be effective in treating sediment-laden spring runoff
	Catch basin insert	Marginal	The location of these in a very cold location often leads to icing conditions; can be marginally effective for solids even if frozen
	Wet vault	Yes	See comment for proprietary devices
	Chemical treatment	Yes	These systems are designed to inject treatment chemicals for all flows
	Floatable skimmer	Yes-to-marginal	Proper installation of a floatable skimmer or baffle weir will allow water to pass even when thick ice is present; draws water from below ice layers
	Sorbents	Yes	These absorb chemicals usually in sub-grade systems
	Thermal protections	No	Do not apply to winter conditions
	Biological additives	Yes	See comment for chemical treatment